Supplier Code of Conduct

Version 1.0 - Last updated: 15 October 2024

At Virgin Megastore, we do business for good, with purpose at the core of our business model. Our values are shaping our business and drive us to uphold our environmental and social responsibilities, addressing the climate crisis alongside our colleagues, customers, and suppliers. As a retailer, we acknowledge that a significant portion of our environmental impact stems from the carbon footprint of the products we sell and we recognise the part we play. Which is why we are committed to reducing this impact in collaboration with our suppliers, aiming to build a sustainable future for all.

Our Commitments

We are Changing Business For Good. We’ve made it our responsibility to operate with the highest planet, people and ethical standards. So, when it comes to doing business with suppliers and business partners, we have to ensure that they are committed to changing business for good in the same way we are.

We apply an internal checklist of values that matter to us to make supply chain decisions and ensure our purpose isn’t compromised. This includes the scope and impacts of supply chains with respect to Environmental, Social, and Governance criteria and our commitment aligns with the principles of the UN Global Compact and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Supplier Expectations

Since we seek to source from companies who consider themselves leaders in responsible supply chain management, it only makes sense for them to follow this Code of Conduct. We recognise the necessity that lies in our suppliers and business partners upholding these non-negotiable principles within their own supply chains, as well as their work with their own vendors, subcontractors, and suppliers. Think of it as a ripple effect of good business.

We expect our suppliers to share and uphold our values by adhering to this Code of Conduct. Failure to comply may result in the termination of our partnership and could lead to legal action.

Please take the time needed to go through this Code of Conduct. If you have any questions, we're more than happy to answer them for you.

Environmental Responsibility

Virgin Megastore has ambitions to reach Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions in its operations and supply chains by 2050 or earlier. We, therefore, seek to work with suppliers and business partners who:

  • are dedicated to significantly reducing their environmental footprint
  • measure and report their environmental impacts across their business operations
  • put in place ambitious time-bound plans to improve them.

This includes, but is not limited to:

  • reducing Greenhouse gas emissions impacts
  • minimising freshwater use and encourage reuse and recycling
  • minimising waste and disposing of waste correctly
  • maximising reuse and recycling - circularity of products
  • avoiding single-use plastics
  • use of renewable energy
  • adoption of closed loop processes
  • avoiding the use of microbeads in products (polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate or polymethyl methacrylate)
  • protecting biodiversity

Climate-Related Information

Suppliers must communicate climate-related data, including the carbon footprint of their products, to promote transparency and accountability.

Product Longevity

Suppliers should provide necessary parts and support for extending the lifespan of products wherever possible.

Anti-Obsolescence Commitment

Suppliers must actively work to prevent planned obsolescence by designing and manufacturing products with durability and longevity in mind.

Compliance with Environmental Laws

Suppliers must comply with all relevant environmental protection laws and maintain all required environmental permits to ensure sustainable operations.

Proactive Chemical Safety

Suppliers must take proactive measures to protect customers from any chemicals in products that could pose a health hazard.

Social Responsibility

Fair Labor Practices

Suppliers must ensure fair labour practices and safe working conditions in line with the UN Global Compact (UNGC) guidelines, specifically The Ten Principles.

Principles 1-2: Human Rights Principles

  • Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights.
  • Principle 2: Businesses should ensure that their own operations are not complicit in human rights abuses.

Principles 3-6: Labour Principles

  • Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining.
  • Principle 4: Businesses should uphold the elimination of forced or compulsory labour.
  • Principle 5: Businesses should uphold the effective abolition of child labour.
  • Principle 6: Businesses should uphold the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation

Principles 7-9: Environment Principles

  • Principle 7: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges.
  • Principle 8: Businesses should undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility.
  • Principle 9: Businesses should encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.

Principle 10: Anti-Corruption Principle

  • Principle 10: Businesses should work against all forms of corruption, including extortion and bribery.

Health, Safety and Wellbeing

At Virgin Megastore, we want everyone to be safe, healthy and well. We strive to ensure that we are constantly anticipating and responding to the evolving wellbeing needs and expectations of all our stakeholders – people, customers, partners, suppliers, founders and local communities too. We believe that wellbeing is of paramount importance and also that it is multidimensional. Suppliers must ensure that workers' health, safety and wellbeing are always protected.

    Physical Wellbeing

    Supporting everyone to stay safe and well by helping to prevent (and manage) disease and by practicing healthy daily habits.

    Emotional Wellbeing

    Supporting everyone to stay well by focusing on their mental health and helping to increase their resilience.

    Financial Wellbeing

    Supporting everyone to stay well by finding a sense of security because they have enough money to meet their needs and striving to ensure that nobody is left behind.

    Occupational Wellbeing

    Supporting everyone to stay well by developing the skills they need, helping them to keep or find work that is satisfying and rewarding and helping them to maintain a healthy work life balance.

    Social Wellbeing

    Supporting everyone to stay well by helping them feel more connected to their families and friends and by supporting them to contribute to help others in their local communities.

    Environmental Wellbeing

    Supporting everyone to stay well by living in harmony with the earth and by taking opportunities to protect it. We seek to work with suppliers and business partners who put wellbeing at the heart of their workplace (and supply chains).

Inclusion

At Virgin Megastore, we believe all people are equal and we welcome and encourage people to truly be themselves. We strive to treat people fairly and equally irrespective of their identity, lifestyle and life chances including but not restricted to the following considerations:

Protected Characteristics

Characteristics such as age, disability, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity.

Acquired Traits

Traits developed in an individual as a result of environmental influence such as educational background.

Personal Circumstances

Circumstances such as caring responsibilities, life stage or culture.

Health Considerations

Considerations such as long-term conditions, mental health, substance misuse.

Neurodiversity

Diversity of thought and neurodiversity including diverse social preferences, ways of learning, ways of communicating and/or ways of perceiving the environment.

Marginalised Communities

Marginalised communities such as ex-offenders or refugees.

We seek to work with suppliers and business partners who treat people fairly and equally irrespective of their identity, lifestyle and life chances.

Governance

Ethical and Transparent Conduct

Suppliers must conduct business ethically and transparently. They should be fully transparent when requested and avoid any actions that could deceive our customers.

Acting with Integrity

We are committed to establishing mutually beneficial relationships with our suppliers and business partners and we honour and enforce the terms of the contracts to which we commit. We conduct our operations ethically, with integrity and in accordance with the principles of fair competition.

We are committed to creating an environment where we can be open, build trust and act with positive intent in everything we do. We expect our suppliers and business partners to act with integrity in line with our values and behaviours, dealing with honesty and in good faith.

Partnership and Innovation

We have a passion to disrupt our own industries. We believe in being innovative, together – working with our suppliers and business partners to explore new boundaries and ways of working to ensure long-term growth and success for all. Our agile, team-based ethos is fundamental to the way we work both internally and externally. As such we will always seek to build collaborative relationships with suppliers and business partners to find solutions and create value.

Legal and Regulatory Compliance

Our principle is to comply with all applicable laws and regulatory requirements, and we commit to operating in an ethical manner in all our dealings. In turn, we require suppliers and business partners to comply with all applicable laws and regulatory requirements in the provision of goods and services to Virgin Megastore. It is the responsibility of suppliers to maintain and enforce these standards within their own supply chain. We endeavour to include appropriate obligations in any legal agreement we hold with suppliers and business partners in respect of legal and regulatory compliance, including, but not limited to, those in respect of financial crime prevention.

Bribery and Corruption

We have a zero-tolerance approach towards bribery and corruption in all its forms. We expect our suppliers and business partners to have in place controls to deter, detect and prevent bribery and corruption from occurring. We also ask our suppliers and business partners to disclose to us any actual or potential bribery or corruption concerns. We require our suppliers and business partners to immediately report any concerns in relation to bribery and corruption to their Virgin Megastore contact or confidentially through contact with our Procurement team.

Gifts, Entertainment and Hospitality

We request that our suppliers and business partners respect that our people must not give, promise to give, offer or receive a payment, gift, entertainment or hospitality, with the expectation or hope that a business advantage will be received, or to reward a business advantage already given. We have monetary values beyond which, all gifts, entertainment or hospitality must be recorded in a register and certain internal approvals may also be required. We expect suppliers to respect our policy. Open and Fair Competition We expect our suppliers and business partners to comply with competition laws wherever they do business, adopting business practices that do not restrict free and fair competition. Our suppliers and business partners must avoid practices that may be viewed as anti-competitive and must not share confidential or commercially sensitive information with our competitors, or other Virgin Megastore suppliers or business partners.

Conflict of interest

Our suppliers and business partners must ensure – without being requested to do so - that no conflicts of interest arise between them and Virgin Megastore or, if such conflicts are discovered, that they are eliminated and reported to Virgin Megastore.

Modern Slavery

Our suppliers and business partners must comply with all applicable laws and regulations (including the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015), prohibiting forced labour and slavery (including modern slavery in any form) in its own workforce.

Use of Virgin Megastore or Virgin Group Name and Logo

Virgin Megastore and Virgin Group prohibit the use of its name or logo, by its suppliers or business partners, for any purpose without its express written consent. This includes, but is not limited to, public announcements, press releases and media activity, advertising, endorsements, customer or client listings.

Health and Safety

Our suppliers and business partners must comply at a minimum with health and safety legislation in their countries. We seek to partner with companies that have a best practice health and safety record for their industry. Our suppliers and business partners are required to be actively involved in working safely to mitigate health and safety risks and hold third party accreditation of a recognised international standard.

Commitment to Compliance and Reporting

As a valued partner, we rely on your commitment to fully adhere to and implement the principles outlined in this Supplier Code of Conduct. To ensure compliance, we reserve the right to audit your operations, request access to your facilities, and, if necessary, terminate our business relationship in the event of any violations. Additionally, we expect you to promptly report any breaches of this Code—whether from within your own company or on our side—through our whistleblower support line. Your cooperation in upholding these standards is critical to our shared success and sustainability goals. Potential violations of these commitments can be raised by e-mailing, giving a call to the Internal Audit department at +961 76 090 391 or +961 1 828 772 / ext. 1398 or by filling in the whistle blowing form.

Let’s change business for good together and create a ripple of effect of good business behaviour!